Looking back, 2017 has been quite a personal journey for me. It began with an operation that helped with a long-standing medical condition. Recovery took longer than I expected, but in the end, the result was well worth it. I went on a diet, lost a few kilos and still have a long way to go to reach my ideal goal, but I’ll get there! In more recent months, I have reached a milestone birthday, saw my favourite band as well as discovering that I may be a ‘sensitive’ and I’m keen to find out more about such things. 2017 was also the year when I came to the conclusion that I needed a change in direction when it comes to writing and will be going down the path of self-publishing.
In 2017, I did a couple of courses, found some helpful beta readers, submitted stories to competitions and tried my hand at writing a novella only for it to turn out to be a long short story (the longest I’ve ever written). I also have a clearer picture of my genre.
So what will I do differently?
Write a heck of lot more than what I have been doing, that’s for sure! Unfortunately there are a couple of things that continually get in the way. One is called life, the other is time management. As a writer who has a family and household to maintain, there isn’t much I can do about the first one, but the other I can control. I’ve struggled with time management for a while now and I know that if I really want to get anywhere as a writer, especially on the self-publishing route, I have to lift my game and make some big changes.
One of those changes will be cutting back on time spent on the internet. Over the past few years I have become a political tragic (sad, I know), but with two teenage kids, I do worry about their future and that of the planet. Also, with social media lately, I have become a bit sporadic, so I have at least started to cut back on that and may need to start using a timer for this as well as my writing. Of-course I will continue to blog – it is still writing after all! 😉
Breaking some of those old habits is not going to be easy, but I enjoy the sense of accomplishment when I have reached one of my goals; and for me right now, the biggest goal of all is publication.
As you look back on 2017, with all its successes/failures, if you could backtrack, what would you do differently? Have you learnt something about yourself this year? Do you find yourself struggling with time management? What habits have you had to break to get more writing done?
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The world is pretty tragic, so I get that. It’s great that you’re persevering and upping your game, because your voice is important! http://www.raimeygallant.com
Thanks Raimey! This year, I’ve found that between beta readers and blogging, these are great ways to develop voice and gain confidence. Thanks for stopping by and best wishes for Christmas! 🙂
I think you’ve got it all under control. Learning a few things never hurts either. hehehe
Anna from elements of emaginette
Thanks Anna! There’s always something to learn, isn’t there? 😉 Thanks for stopping by and best wishes for Christmas!
Sounds like you’re on a good track for the new year. Wishing you good luck with all of your plans! 🙂
Thanks Madeline! Merry Christmas and all the best for the new year! 🙂
Health issues can really throw a wrench into the works. I broke my wrist in February and I think it set the whole year off wrong. Keep the positive vibes going and catch those moments whenever you can to write. Family does come first, but only if the house is burning down (OK…maybe not only then! haha).
Thanks K.J! Sorry to hear about your health issues. I hope things are better for you now and will only improve in the coming year. Thanks for stopping by and Merry Christmas! 🙂
I’m glad the surgery was a success for you. It sounds like you did a lot of good for your writing journey. I wish you much more of that in 2018!
Thank you ChrysFey! Small progress is still progress, right? 😉 Thanks for stopping by and I wish you all the very best for Christmas and the new year!
Sounds like 2017 wasn’t too bad. A lot of us would love to have written more, but sometimes it’s just not possible. Best wishes for 2018
Thanks Lynda. The desire to write more seems to be a recurring theme. 😉 Enjoy your Christmas and best wishes for the new year!